Down Time
by Tiger of the Fire
Summary: Being stuck in the TARDIS is not a good way to keep Donna busy, yet the Doctor needs a break. However, Donna needs something to do. With that little conflict, arguments can ensue, but how to explain and let everyone get what they want.


_**Disclaimer**_: **I do not own Doctor Who and never will. It belongs to the BBC and the shows creators. I do not make any money off of this piece.**

_Title_: Down Time

_Characters:_ 10th Doctor and Donna Noble

_Pairings:_ none!

_Rating:_ K+

_Words for the Piece:_ 1,290

_Warnings:_ melancholy, arguments, takes place between the episodes "Forest of the Dead" and "Midnight", plus the standard whatever else this demented author thinks up.

_Summary_: Being stuck in the TARDIS is not a good way to keep Donna busy, yet the Doctor needs a break. However, Donna needs something to do. With that little conflict, arguments can ensue, but how to explain and let everyone get what they want.

_Notes:_ This is my first Doctor Who piece, a series I love with a passion that has not been extended beyond Harry Potter in years. This piece was inspired by recently rewatching my DVDs for series four, as Donna is my favourite of his companions. I kind of decided to write my own bit on what happened between the end of the Library segment and "Midnight". Hope that people enjoy this piece.

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It seemed as if the Doctor was incapable of ever escaping the fact of having a companion, unless he ran fast enough. He had thought that he would never have another after Martha left and then Donna returned. She was ready to travel with him. He could honestly call her his best friend, even though they could get into arguments over what was happening. Of course, that did not mean that he did not get annoyed at times. It was especially apparent when one stayed in the TARDIS too long, which just made it all the easier for nerves to get frayed. The duo had finally reached that point. It wasn't that much of a surprise to anyone that would have been paying attention.

"Oi! We can't stay in here forever!" Donna's eyes were narrowed at the Time Lord in front of her. They had only finished with their narrow escape from the Vashta Nerada a week earlier, and Donna already wanted to get out of the time machine. She had been yelling at him about it for the past four minutes and the fighting looked like it was about to continue. The Doctor was pulling at his hair from the frustration that Donna was causing him in that moment.

The Doctor began walking around the TARDIS' control panel. He was doing his best not to yell at the woman next to him. He let out a breath. "Well, if you want to go somewhere, why don't you choose a place?" He was looking at the monitor on the panel. He was keeping his thoughts to himself by focusing on the screen instead. He knew that Donna had a tendency to get annoyed when she was bored. All it did was make the Doctor bite his tongue instead of really doing anything. He was typing something out as Donna threw her hands up in the air.

"I need off of this ship. Choose some place, any place! Until you do, I'm staying in my room." She then stormed off to her room. The Doctor sat upon his long seat in front of the monitor. He blew out some air after a moment of sitting in silence on the deck. The sound of the TARDIS whirring around him was the only noise that accompanied him in that particular moment.

"Oh what am I doing to do with her?" He closed his eyes and laid his head back. Donna had been rather understanding through some of their recent troubles, a fact he was grateful for. He also knew that she still understood the effects, but he had the urge for a little down time. That had been one of the things he had been thinking about over the past week. Of course, he wasn't sure where he could go where trouble wouldn't immediately follow at some point. He groaned again. It was almost like everything was against him in that recent time period. He glanced in the direction that Donna had gone in. He rubbed his face. "Oh Donna, always have to be doing something don't you?" He got up and made his way over to the rest of the TARDIS, specifically where all the rooms were.

He finally made his way towards her room. "Hope she's calmed down by now. Blimey she can go off easily." He scratched his head and knocked on her door, hoping that she would be a bit willing to just listen. He really hated having to explain himself to her all the time; she was one of the few people he knew that demanded explanations about his actions. He was still waiting for her to open the door a minute later. "Donna, come on. We need to talk. I believe I have a nice place to go after all of this time." The door clicked and opened for him. Donna stood on the other side, blocking the doorway. He hadn't planned on walking in. He waited. Donna was someone that needed to speak first most of the time.

"Alright, talk." She had her eyes narrowed at him. "I don't have all day Spaceman. Oh wait, yes I do." She narrowed those eyes further, almost making it impossible to see out of them. He sighed and ran his hands through his already messy hair. He let out a breath, something he seemed to be doing a lot. He glanced at Donna.

"I just want a bit of a break Donna. I've lost so much recently, I need a break from it all. It's difficult to find a place where trouble won't follow. Even my vacations get interrupted rather often." He gave Donna an earnest look, as if he was trying to make her understand something he did not want to explain to anyone. She frowned at him. She knew a lot of what happened. The Doctor never really seemed affected, not for long anyways. She kind of wondered just how much he kept to himself.

She sighed after a moment. "I understand. I just think we need out of here. It can't be good for anyone to stay in this place for far too long. Even you need to get out now and then. Isn't there like some resort place we could go? I'm certain things are less likely to happen at one of those places." The Doctor rubbed his neck as he appeared to think about what Donna had said. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, a Library isn't always safe." She gave him one of her smiles. He made a noise of loudly exhaling air.

"Well…I know of some place, but it is all covered in glass. The surface is dangerous." He turned to walk back to the control room of the TARDIS. Donna followed him. He didn't notice right away, apparently deciding to follow some of Donna's advice. She noticed that he did listen quite often, depending on the situation. She was watching him intently.

Donna finally spoke when they got to the main centre of the TARDIS. "What do you mean? How can you relax in a place made of glass? You would never get any privacy." The Doctor looked at her with an eyebrow raised and a shake of his head. He was obviously amused by what she had said. "Oi! I would appreciate an answer instead of your head shake." He bit his tongue to keep his snarky comment to himself after she said that. They didn't need yet another argument. There were too many things already in that week to argue over.

"It's not a privacy thing. The kind of light given off by the star is dangerous. It will kill you instantaneously when you exit safety. So everywhere is covered in thick metal and glass." He shrugged after he finished. Donna wasn't really shocked after all they had seen by that point in time, but she hadn't really thought that such places would have resorts on them. She chuckled.

"Well, sounds interesting. Let's go then. I could use some time of rest and relaxation, and you could as well." She leaned against the chair. The Doctor didn't smile for a bit. "It is a good idea, isn't it? All of us need a break after all. Can't keep on going indefinitely." She gave him a smile after that sentence. Donna was attempting to get him to stop over thinking.

He then smiled at her in his normal exuberance. "Oh yes, I've never been to Midnight. Alright Donna, hold on tight. Next stop Midnight!" He punched some buttons on the consol in front of him. The two shared one more look and then he unlocked the break and the two were hurtling towards a new planet for another adventure.

A/N: Well, I hope that you liked this little piece. It was definitely enjoyable to write. So enjoy. Later!


End file.
